Light=fast - Ortovox Shovel Pro Light

I initially wasn't sure how this shovel would perform in avalanche debris. My friend Aaron swore by it so I decided to give it a try. Holy wow, I was surprised. I used to use the Badger because it is big and burly and I thought that equaled = moving more snow, faster. WRONG. I attended the International Snow Science Workshop in Austria last October and research that came out of MSU stated that smalled shovel sizes/better proportionate to the person's body weight (I'm 115 lbs) actually is much more efficient for moving the most amount of snow possible in a short period of time. This shovel has held up very well for me. I teach avalanche courses and am constantly digging in rock hard snowbanks. The lighter shovel also saves you weight on the trail which we know ultimately gives us more energy reserves at the end of the day or in the misfortunate resuce circumstance.